FBI Seeks Information on 2009 Disappearance of Hackensack Resident Debra Feldman and Any Possible Contact She Had with Serial Killer Israel Keyes

FBI Newark
November 13, 2013

Special Agent Barbara Woodruff(973) 792-3020

On March 18, 2012, Israel Keyes was arrested for the murder of 18-year-old Samantha Koenig in Anchorage, Alaska. While in custody in Alaska, Keyes admitted to authorities that he had kidnapped and murdered victims throughout the country during a crime spree that began in 2001. Last December, Keyes killed himself in his Anchorage jail cell, leaving a trail of unanswered questions and unidentified victims.

Based upon the investigation conducted following his arrest in March 2012, Israel Keyes is believed to have committed multiple kidnappings and murders across the country between 2001 and March 2012. Keyes lived in Washington from 2001 to March 2007, at which time he moved to Alaska. While living in Alaska, Keyes traveled extensively, working as a general contractor. In a series of interviews with law enforcement, Keyes described significant planning and preparation for his murders, reflecting a meticulous and organized approach to his crimes.

Investigators believe Keyes did not know any of his victims prior to their abductions. He described several remote locations that he frequented to look for victims, such as parks, campgrounds, trailheads, cemeteries, and boating areas. Keyes also admitted to frequenting prostitutes during his travels, and it is unknown at this time if he met any of his victims in this manner. Keyes indicated the victims are male and female and range in age from late teens to the elderly. Keyes told investigators prior to the murder of a husband and wife in Vermont in 2011 that his victims’ disappearance received little if any media coverage.

Investigators believe Keyes is responsible for 11 homicides. Keyes stated his murders occurred in less than 10 states but did not disclose all the locations. Keyes described crossing into multiple states during the abduction, murder, and disposal of a victim. It is not unlikely that in some cases, Keyes abducted a victim from one state, transported the victim to another state where he or she was murdered, and potentially drove the victim to a third state to dispose of the body. Keyes admitted to burglarizing 20 to 30 homes throughout the United States and talked about committing arson as a means to cover up a homicide.

Keyes admitted that on April 9, 2009, he abducted a female victim from a state on the East Coast and transported that person over multiple state lines into New York. Keyes murdered the victim and buried her in upstate New York near the Tupper Lake area. Investigators do not believe this victim is buried on the property Keyes owned in Constable, New York.

Investigators believe the victim of the April 9, 2009 homicide may be Debra Feldman, who resided in Hackensack, New Jersey, at the time of her disappearance. To date, Ms. Feldman’s body has not been recovered. Investigators are requesting that anyone who knew Ms. Feldman and may have information about her activities around the time of her disappearance contact the Hackensack Police Department or call 1-800- CALL-FBI and follow the prompts for the Israel Keyes case.

Additional information detailing the travel and criminal activity of Keyes can be found on fbi.gov. This information includes recorded interviews of Keyes while in custody, an interactive timeline of his travel through the United States, and related press releases.